Hi tor-relays mailing list,
I have noticed that the Tor consensus server tor26 (https://metrics.torproject.org/rs.html#details/847B1F850344D7876491A54892F90...) is blocked on Verizon's UUNET (AS701) backbone, and therefore, Verizon's retail services like FiOS and Wireless. I can confirm this on FiOS, but I don't use Verizon Wireless (my smartphone uses Sprint) so I can't test it there.
A traceroute to tor26's IP address 86.59.21.38 from a Brooklyn apartment shows this is filtered on Verizon's backbone:
neel@xb2:~ % traceroute 86.59.21.38 traceroute to 86.59.21.38 (86.59.21.38), 64 hops max, 40 byte packets 1 unknown (192.168.1.1) 1.128 ms 0.780 ms 0.613 ms 2 lo0-100.NYCMNY-VFTTP-401.verizon-gni.net (173.68.77.1) 1.001 ms 3.632 ms 0.900 ms 3 B3401.NYCMNY-LCR-22.verizon-gni.net (100.41.137.96) 2.291 ms B3401.NYCMNY-LCR-21.verizon-gni.net (100.41.137.94) 3.172 ms 4.046 ms 4 * * * 5 * * * 6 * * * 7 * * * 8 * * * 9 * * * ^C neel@xb2:~ %
In a normal traceroute, you will see ALTER.NET at hop 5. Also, the subnet 86.59.21.0/24 is not filtered on UUNET. A traceroute to 86.59.21.1 works:
neel@xb2:~ % traceroute 86.59.21.1 traceroute to 86.59.21.1 (86.59.21.1), 64 hops max, 40 byte packets 1 unknown (192.168.1.1) 0.863 ms 0.757 ms 0.579 ms 2 lo0-100.NYCMNY-VFTTP-401.verizon-gni.net (173.68.77.1) 1.010 ms 1.545 ms 1.034 ms 3 B3401.NYCMNY-LCR-22.verizon-gni.net (100.41.137.96) 3.616 ms B3401.NYCMNY-LCR-21.verizon-gni.net (100.41.137.94) 5.696 ms 10.062 ms 4 * * * 5 0.et-5-1-5.BR3.NYC4.ALTER.NET (140.222.2.127) 3.492 ms 3.506 ms 2.996 ms 6 204.255.168.118 (204.255.168.118) 8.462 ms 7.479 ms 7.252 ms 7 144.232.4.84 (144.232.4.84) 5.041 ms 4.688 ms sl-crs3-lon-0-6-3-0.sprintlink.net (144.232.9.165) 71.865 ms 8 sl-crs2-lon-0-0-3-0.sprintlink.net (213.206.128.181) 72.214 ms 73.579 ms 72.339 ms 9 213.206.129.142 (213.206.129.142) 81.390 ms sl-crs4-ams-0-7-0-3.sprintlink.net (213.206.129.139) 85.854 ms 93.238 ms 10 217.149.47.46 (217.149.47.46) 79.004 ms 85.669 ms 79.392 ms 11 ams5-core-1.bundle-ether1.tele2.net (130.244.82.54) 86.507 ms 78.374 ms 77.740 ms 12 ams-core-2.bundle-ether9.tele2.net (130.244.82.57) 79.642 ms 77.926 ms 81.515 ms 13 wen3-core-2.bundle-ether15.tele2.net (130.244.71.47) 105.400 ms 105.089 ms 109.751 ms 14 tele2at-bundle2-vie3.net.uta.at (212.152.189.65) 122.716 ms 110.820 ms 114.354 ms 15 86.59.21.1 (86.59.21.1) 106.389 ms * 105.379 ms neel@xb2:~ %
I got in contact with Peter Palfrader and he says he couldn't help, and also with Verizon FiOS support and they said the filtering 'isn't on Verizon's network' (read: isn't on Verizon's internal FiOS network but still on Verizon's AS701 which I have to go to to get anywhere on the Internet here).
I know that this IP could have been blackholed, and you may think that if Verizon is blocking it, then isn't Level 3 or Cogent? Well, Cogent doesn't block tor26:
traceroute to 86.59.21.38 (86.59.21.38), 30 hops max, 60 byte packets 1 gi0-1-1-19.5.agr21.jfk02.atlas.cogentco.com (66.28.3.113) 0.727 ms 0.727 ms 2 be2605.ccr41.jfk02.atlas.cogentco.com (154.54.1.153) 2.177 ms be2606.ccr42.jfk02.atlas.cogentco.com (154.54.2.29) 0.734 ms 3 be2490.ccr42.lon13.atlas.cogentco.com (154.54.42.86) 68.557 ms be2317.ccr41.lon13.atlas.cogentco.com (154.54.30.186) 70.829 ms 4 be12488.ccr42.ams03.atlas.cogentco.com (130.117.51.42) 74.570 ms be12194.ccr41.ams03.atlas.cogentco.com (154.54.56.94) 76.767 ms 5 be2434.agr21.ams03.atlas.cogentco.com (130.117.2.241) 74.515 ms 74.612 ms 6 149.6.129.250 (149.6.129.250) 80.758 ms 74.625 ms 7 ams5-core-1.bundle-ether1.tele2.net (130.244.82.54) 75.421 ms 75.425 ms 8 ams-core-2.bundle-ether9.tele2.net (130.244.82.57) 74.516 ms 74.558 ms 9 wen3-core-2.bundle-ether15.tele2.net (130.244.71.47) 97.605 ms 95.470 ms 10 tele2at-bundle2-vie3.net.uta.at (212.152.189.65) 100.314 ms 97.947 ms 11 86.59.118.145 (86.59.118.145) 96.918 ms 98.620 ms 12 tor.noreply.org (86.59.21.38) 97.853 ms 98.110 ms
(Source: http://www.cogentco.com/en/network/looking-glass)
It could be possible that other Tier 1 networks formerly blocked tor26, and also unblocked, but Verizon was sloppy not to do so.
It's also possible that Verizon could be doing it because the FCC repealed Net Neturality, and wants to discourage use of Tor to mine FiOS/VZW customers' browsing habits. But despite a NN repeal I can still access Tor on FiOS, and also run a relay (I do both) because other consensus relays are still unblocked.
But if Verizon didn't unblock tor26, could it actually mean that Verizon wants to discourage Tor (and VPN/proxy) use to try to mine information of their customers (and sell ads/information) and direct users to VZ-owned AOL and Yahoo? Well, I hope they were just sloppy and don't mean to wage war on Tor.
While I'm not saying you should avoid using anything Verizon at all costs (I certainly wouldn't want to go to the local cable company), I just want to point out a blocked consensus server.
Thank You,
Neel Chauhan
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